By Eliz Dowdy

Bell called a meeting last August of community leaders to come together and work to stem the tide of violence, death and incarceration for Black male youths. From that meeting last August the Saving Our Sons grew, and a Summit was hosted last November, with Black men in the communities coming together to interact with the youth in a very positive manner.

The primary focus of the workshop was with law enforcement. Deputy Zack Beckum told this reporter the first question he asked the attendees Saturday morning was, “How many (of you) were forced to come?” No hands were raised, he said, and that was an indicator that the youth were there seeking answers and a better way. His topics were interacting with law enforcement, racial profiling and criminal profiling. The youth did not know there is a difference, he stated. He met them basically on a one-to-one basis; no uniform, no gun, no badge, just a Black man counseling Black youth on healthy choices for their lives.

Deputy Beckum is with Public Affairs at headquarters in San Bernardino for the Sheriff’s Department. He told the Precinct Reporter he would follow Regina Bell into battle, saying he wished there was someone “down below” who is doing the things she is doing in the high desert to make a difference for the youth. She has participated in ride-alongs with the department, worked on other issues and is totally committed to community issues. Deputy Beckum was the first speaker and stated he believed the youth were very receptive and he would most definitely be willing to conduct a follow-up session.

While the young men were with Deputy Beckum, the adults listened to Bridgette Bradley expound on “Parent Resumes.” There, parents were able to speak out on issues, how to deal with changes in their homes, create common ground in the home. Bradley is founder of Bridgette Together Coalition in Hesperia; she has formed a youth entrepreneurship program that has been piloted through the Apple Valley School District.

High Desert leader Garner stated he was excited about the parent resume teaching. Bell has partnered with four local congregations to help parents understand their roles and how to communicate better with their teenage children. One parent, Sam Harris, shared that learning to hug, verbalize his love for his children, was a huge step in bridging the communication gap. Black men have been very good communicators of their affections, children need positive reinforcement to navigate the life/decision maze he stated.

Other workshops for the youth included sexting; it was sponsored by Charter Communications and presented by the Sheriff's Department. Bell stated the youth were amazed to learn it is a felony. Many parents were also unaware of the seriousness of the technological flirting tool. A young man could be on the dean's list, headed for college, and suddenly find himself charged with a sexual crime that derails his whole life, has to register as a sex offender, unable to get quality work, ostracized by the community he lives in, all the result of one bad decision.

The adults were learning how to communicate in blended families; the topics were discipline and communication--the discipline sub-topic included spanking. School districts are working with classroom teachers to enable them to deal effectively with these issues. Parents were told they need to know who their child is, and not compare them with other children, even within the family structure. Once again, positive enforcement was emphasized as a tool for understanding each other.

Gang culture was an eye-opening topic for the young men, the weight it carries, making the right decisions about who you hang around with. If you are in a vehicle and a crime is committed you are guilty by association, once again a life-changing event that happened suddenly. Parents were told to be aware of gang attire, and other symbols that are indicators their children may be wannabes, if not actually involved in the hard-core values of the gang existence.

Guest speaker for the event was Terrence Stone, founder of the Young Visionaries; Stone spoke with the Precinct Reporter about the event, stating that it was indeed an auspicious event. His topic focused on decision-making, choosing the people you hang around with. He described it as a really great event where the community, law enforcement, and youth could meet without confrontations or criticism of each other, but coming together to dialogue. He said he was honored to be a part of it. According to Bell, Stone did not leave when he finished, but stayed the whole day and the youth were able to speak with him on a one-to-one basis.

The goal of Saving Our Sons is the provision of resources, mentors, information about choices, whether the young men are college-bound, or seeking alternative careers. They need to know what is available and that help is available. However, critical to the success of Saving Our Sons is parental involvement, without it when they return to a negative home environment it becomes a definite struggle to overcome and can short-circuit the process for that individual.

This is where the training with the faith-based organizations comes into play; the four churches currently onboard to work with Bell are: United in Christ, Apple Valley, Pastor Foy; Burning Bush Church in Victorville, Pastor Denson; Destiny Christian Center, Victorville, Pastor Giddings, and Emmanuel Temple, Victorville, Pastor Markham.

The Alliance for Education with Chico Garza also works closely with Bell. Garza has created a program called, “The Twelve Powers of Family Business.” Both programs will be operational by the end of 2010.

The second annual Saving Our Sons Summit will be presented in November.

Partners for the event were: Azusa Pacific University; Victor Valley African American Chamber of Commerce; Victor Valley NAACP; Charter Communications and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department; former superintendent of Victor Valley Union High School District, Julian Weaver; Benn Johnson, adjunct professor, Victor Valley Community College, and Don Rucker, Director of Azusa Pacific, High Desert campus.